AUBURN -- Everything is finished at the new Auburn Arena except for the final touches.

Now it just needs some basketball.

The Auburn men's and women's teams will tip off their first preseason practice tonight at the new arena. They'll be joined by the Harlem Globetrotters, whose appearance has helped the Tigers sell out all 9,100 seats to the grand opening.

Workers were busy hoisting curtains in the arena's media room as Barbee prepared to talk with reporters on Tuesday, but otherwise everything in the new building appears game-ready. Even the concession stands were doing practice meals at the new digs in preparation for tonight.

There's likely to be little real basketball -- other than the Globetrotter variety -- at tonight's opening, but Barbee has his work cut out before the Nov. 12 opener against UNC-Asheville.

The Tigers had already lost four of five starters from last season's team that finished 15-17 and was fifth in the SEC West. Then, two key recruits failed to qualify, and two of the expected leading scorers -- guard Frankie Sullivan and forward Ty Armstrong -- went down with season-ending injuries.

It's hard to find a preseason magazine or website that doesn't predict Auburn to finish last in the SEC.

"This is going to be a fun team to watch," Barbee said. "What that leads to in wins and losses, that's hard to say. Nobody is going to put expectations on my team higher than mine. There is not a game on the schedule I look at and say, 'We have no shot at that one.' We are going to play, we are going to play fast, and we are going to play fun."

The addition of point guard Varez Ward could give Auburn a boost. Ward transferred from Texas this summer, and because his mother in Montgomery is ill, he hopes to get an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play immediately.

Barbee said the NCAA hasn't ruled on the request, and Ward is still recovering from a torn quadriceps that ended his final season at Texas.

"We want to be cautious coming off that injury," Barbee said.

Sophomore guard Earnest Ross was a bench role player on last year's squad, but he's likely to start and play an important scoring role in Barbee's first year. With the injuries to Sullivan and Armstrong, he's suddenly become the team's leading returning scorer and its most prominent active player.

Ross said not to write off the Tigers yet.

"We're all very competitive," Ross said. "That makes us a very scrappy team. We look forward to playing the bigger and better competition. We are just going to compete every time we step on the court."